Friday, May 28, 2021
Most of us know by now that sleep is really important. It repairs our bodies, clarifies our thinking, and generally makes it possible for us to feel good.
Like exercise, sleep is just plain good for you. And failing to get enough sleep creates a bunch of issues.
There’s just one little problem.
If you don’t get enough exercise, you can muster up some willpower and take a very, very short walk. Then you can build on that and walk a little farther tomorrow.
But sleep doesn’t work that way. There simply isn’t any way to force yourself to get good-quality sleep.
(As it turns out, the sleep we get using prescription or other drugs is a little like the sleep version of living on potato chips and Sriracha. Better than nothing, but not so good for you in the long run.)
If you’re an insomniac, as I have been for much of my life, you’re probably getting more stressed with every line of this you read.
So please … take a breath, and let your heart rate come down.
Because there are a few good ways to beat the insomnia anxiety cycle and actually get some of this “good-quality sleep” you’ve heard so much about.
Sleep School
I first heard about Sleep School from my evidence-based nutrition pal, Josh Hillis. It’s based on a therapy protocol called ACT — Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
ACT is relatively new, and it turns out to be the duct tape of behavior change advice. This stuff works on all kinds of things.
For example, it can help us to quit being so jacked up about not being able to sleep. Because that stress every night causes us to lose even more sleep. If you’ve been in this loop, you know exactly how much it sucks.
Sleep School is available on the app store, but it’s more a series of short courses than an app. It includes useful advice on the latest research on what promotes healthy sleep. (Some of this is directly counter to those million articles you’ve already read on the web.)
It also includes recordings for a simple mindfulness practice, which is the cornerstone of the program.
You can check it out here: SleepSchool.org
I’ve found it genuinely useful, and if insomnia is a problem for you, I hope you do as well.
Noisy neighbors?
I recently moved from a house to an apartment.
Which has been great, but I remembered the one thing I don’t love about apartment living: the sounds of upstairs neighbors walking across the floor.
Recently, my new upstairs neighbor must have had a bad night, because he was walking around at all hours of the night.
I had never really thought about the literal meaning of that expression. Well, now I have.
He was up at 11, at 12, at 1, at 2, at 3, at 4, and at 5. He took a break at 6 and 7.
(I know what you’re going to ask, and yes, I went upstairs to try to see what was up. No answer when I knocked at the door. I’m hoping the note I left was polite.)
Asking around and a little Googling led me to the recommendation for brown noise, which is white noise’s rumbly big brother.
“Brown” and “pink” noise are random like white noise, but the lower (bass) registers are turned up, which makes them feel more soothing.
I ended up using something I had already used for years to help me focus — the Rainy Mood site and app. It’s nicely simple — it just plays rain sounds on demand, with optional thunder or birds. It’s excellent for getting work done, and I’m finding it’s just as good for masking annoying night sounds.
Going beyond Rainy Mood, I found this super useful site for how to deal with distracting or disruptive noise in your environment: NoisyWorld.org
The site author writes about how to block out fireworks, honking, snoring, and, yes, neighbors who feel like they’re tap dancing on your head at 3 in the morning.
If noise is messing up your sleep or your concentration, NoisyWorld probably has an answer for you.
By the way, although I don’t have any problem with affiliate links, this email doesn’t contain any. Just thought you would like to know.
Rest is an act of resistance
Finally, I’ll leave you with a little inspiration to make more room in your life for rest. The Nap Ministry reminds us that Rest is Resistance, and they’ll challenge you to take better care of yourself and prioritize your rest and your peace of mind.
You might consider following them on social media to get regular reminders to rest and restore.
That’s it for this week … hope you get some lovely sleep this weekend, and I’ll see you next week!
– Sonia
